


The Infinite Girl

by silverwing33



Series: The Unbelievable Lives Of Li [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers Endgame, F/M, Love, Marriage of Convenience, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), South France, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-19
Updated: 2019-10-12
Packaged: 2019-10-31 16:08:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17852828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silverwing33/pseuds/silverwing33
Summary: What happens to Li after the Valkyrie? Whats life like for Bucky Barnes, after his life is saved? What happens to Steve who never crash lands in the Arctic?





	1. Chapter 1

Li woke up in a hospital, the radio was on playing a gentle song. The window next to her was open, blowing in a cool city scented breeze. Down by her side was Bucky, asleep and holding her hand. 

“Good afternoon Ms Riley, we were wondering when you were going to wake” A doctor stepped in through the doorway and tilted his head to the side in a relaxed and carefree fashion. He seemed nice with a full head of copper coloured hair and bright oceanic coloured eyes. Li felt stiff and rough all over. She remembered being shot and guiding Steve to fly the Valkyrie to safety.  
“Ste-ve?”, she croaked out, her mouth feeling like the Sahara desert. How long had she been out for?!   
“Mr Rogers is fine, you can see him later. No doubt he'll be here soon to check on the two of you. This one here hasn't left your side since you got here.” 

Li looked down at Bucky again, who was beginning to stir. “Drink?”, she enquired to the doctor.   
“Li!”, Bucky was fully awake now and took the glass of water the doctor had pulled out for her and helped put the glass to her lips to drink. “Easy..easy! There we go. There.”   
Li moaned when he took the half-empty glass away and put it on the table to the side. “Thank you.”, she murmured, smiling affectionately at him. 

“I'm going to do some tests now, it won't take long. Just need to take your blood pressure, check your heart is beating as it should. From the notes here I can see that the nurse has already changed your bandage for today, so that's good. That's all done. How are you feeling?”, the doctor asked as he slipped on the blood pressure cuff and began to squeeze.   
“Groggy and rough.”, she replied weakly.   
“That's to be expected. You remember where you are?”   
She nodded in response. She was back in the states, still in the 1940s past. She had a brief recollection of waking at one time and there was a lot of people gathered around asking her questions, poking and prodding her with light being shined in her eyes. But yes, she knew where she was. 

“Is she going to be okay, doc?” Bucky asked looking up at the Doctor expectantly.   
“All her vitals check out, she's doing very well. You're a very lucky woman Ms Riley. You're going to have to stay in for a while till those stitches heal and you're able to move. Until then, you're to stay in bed, alright?”  
She nodded and turned to face Bucky as the doctor left to visit his other patients. “How long have I been in here?”  
Bucky lowered his head before answering, “A while, we were all worried about you. I was worried about you. You had us scared there for a while.”   
He looked tired and dishevelled. 

“Buck…have you been here to entire time?”  
“In and out. Someone had to keep an eye on you. Steve wanted to stay but, he had things he needed to do. So I told him I'd stay with you.”, he took the edge of the covers and drew up higher on her chest and held her hand there. He had the sweetest smile, it was easy to see why he was so beloved by people.   
“Thank you”, she whispered. She could feel herself getting sleepy again.   
“Looks like those pain meds are keeping in. I'm gonna go home now, shower and get some clean clothes on. But Steve will be here soon. There's something he wanted to talk to you about when you are a bit more awake. So you get some rest, alright? I'll see you tomorrow, first thing. And if you're real lucky I might bring in some cream cheese bagels to eat. How does that sound?!”   
“Delicious!” Li beamed a smile up at him as he rose to his feet and put his jacket on. 

He waved his hand as he walked out and Li found herself wishing he had stayed. But at the same time, she was also very curious as what it was that Steve was wanting to talk to her about.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve has a solution

Steve came close to the end of visiting hours at the hospital. He was dressed in civilian clothes and the biggest, brightest smile she had ever seen on a person. 

“Hey! I was told you were awake! How you feeling?”

“ A bit better actually, but still really sore. How are you?! Did the landing go smoothly?!”

“Yeah, it went fine. I was more worried about you! But everything's fine, they defused the bombs on board and the Hydra camp has been neutralised.” 

 

Li shifted in the bed to prop herself up. Steve noticing her discomfort tried to help move her with a few ‘oww's’ and ‘ouch's’ before fluffing and moving her pillows. 

“There! That better?” He asked sweetly. 

Li sighed and nodded, “Buck was here, he said you wanted to talk to me about something”. 

Now it was Steves turn to fidget in his seat, looking uncomfortable. “What is it? Is something wrong?!”, Li worried someone had been hurt. Had she done something wrong? Had her actions caused a chain of events?! 

 

“No, nothing, nothing wrong as such. It's more...its something awkward. You're here. The others from the future they came but disappeared from the camp shortly after we landed.” 

Li looked down and to the side. She had changed things, which meant that maybe no one was coming to take her home. She was stuck here.

“Which means it looks like you're stuck here for the time being. I've spoken to Howard and was told he doesn't know how to send you back. Not yet anyhow. Which means we need to look at what we're going to do with you in the meantime.” 

Steve leaned forward and took her hand in both of his. 

 

“Li, you may not be fully aware of the problems facing you right now. You haven't been born yet, which means you have no social security number, no healthcare insurance, Howard is picking up your tab for being here so don't worry about that. But you have no money, no source of income, no job, no references….no home. Do you understand?” 

Li started to panic. He was right she hadn't thought that far.  Her sole focus had been on saving Bucky and Steve from their tragic fates. She hadn't thought about her own! 

“It’s alright! It's all right, calm down. I've put a lot of thought into this. And I think the best course of action is for you to marry.”

Li gulped hard.  _ Marry. “ _ Who?!” 

“Me. You can marry me. I'm going to be away a lot so you will have the place to yourself. And I'd provide anything and everything you need.” 

“No!”, Li flustered as she felt the temperatures rise in her cheeks, “I can't! What about Peggy?! You're supposed to be with her! No! I can't let you! I won't let you!” 

 

“Li, calm down, just hear me out. You saved my friends' life, you saved  **my** life and countless others with your bravery. And I would see it as an honour to be married to you. Besides we don't know if it will be permanent yet, we could see find a way to send you back! It's just to look after you in the time being. And if it is a permanent thing, I would be happy with that too. As for Peggy, she understands your predicament and although I haven't told her of my intentions with you, I'm sure she'd understand.” 

 

By now Li had composed herself and was listening to what was being said. 

“No.” She said defiantly in a firm, stern tone. 

Steve couldn't believe what he was hearing. There was no other way! This made the most sense, surely she could see that! He rocked back in his chair and gave her the most incredulous look he could give. 

“Well, what do you propose on doing instead then?!” 

Li bit her bottom lip and frowned. “I don't know, but I do know I'm not going to marry you. I love you, but I can't let you do this. It wouldn't be fair on anyone! I can't let you throw away what you and Peggy might have in time. I cant. I'm sorry Steve, but no!” 

“Then I don't know what to do with you! If you won't marry... I don't know!” Steve sighed and laced his fingers together forming an arch, his elbows resting on either knee. “Hmmm…” 

Li was stunned into silence. What was she going to do?! The two of them sat there quietly, neither of them knowing what to say to the other. It was a welcome visitation when the nurse walked in to call the end to visiting hours.  _ Oh thank God,  _ Li thought to herself. 

 

Steve rose from his chair and put it back in the corner. “Just think about it. I'll try to visit you tomorrow. See how you are and perhaps we can discuss it more then.” 

“There's nothing to discuss Steve. I meant what I said. I'm not going to marry you! I know you're trying to do the right thing, but this….this is not it!” 

Steve looked up at the ceiling and groaned. 

“Fine! Fine! See you tomorrow. Nite, Li”

“Night, Steve.” 

She flopped her head back against the pillows. 

_ What am I going to do?!  _

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky and Steve have a talk about Li

“I don't know what to do with her, I honestly don't! She refused my help-” 

“Marriage proposal!”

“Fine, marriage proposal! What do you think?! I was thinking of asking one of the commandos, but I can't think which one! Half of them already have someone!” 

“I didn't know you were this anxious to get married steve!” Bucky joked. They were both sitting in a local bar in the heart of New York City. It was fairly quiet for the time of day they had come in. But considering their topic of discussion it probably was for the best. 

“No...well yes...you know what I mean!”, Steve was really stressed out by Li's refusal of him. He had it all mapped out, they would marry and he would go back to Europe with the rest of his troop and when he came home he would get a job at the SSR or something, and they would live quite happily together. The fact she said no, really riled him up. She was being ridiculous, she had no other option! 

 

“Well, personally I would recommend Dugan for you! You'd be a good match(!)”, Bucky knew Steve too well and guessed that he had planned how everything was going to go in his head. The problem was, Steve knew very little about women. He had never had a steady girl. Bucky kind of expected Li would refuse, she always struck him as a girl with her own mind and strong moral compass. And this was something Steve hadn't taken into account. 

 

“Buck! I'm trying to have a serious conversation with you here! She's in trouble and I don't think she's thinking clearly! What can I do or say to make her see that?!”, Steve sighed, buried his head in his hands and groaned. This was starting to give him a headache. 

“I know, but I gotta agree with her! You've come up with this idea but given her no choice. You've basically backed her up in a corner. You went in there expecting her to say yes. This isn't some one-off thing, Steve! it's marriage!”

“I know that!”

“No, you don't! Marriage is a big commitment and its tough. You can probably tend to her financial needs. But what about the other sides. The...the emotional side! What then?!”

“I can...uh...it...hmm”, Steve stuttered. Bucky had a point there. He cared about Li a lot, but he couldnt say for sure if he loved her and if he could cater to her emotional needs down the line. He would try, he was certain of that. He just wanted to take care of her. “So what do you propose?! Shes vulnerable right now. She doesnt even have somewhere to go! Peggy has already found a roomate and by the sounds of things, they wouldnt have any room for Li. As it is, theyre having to share a bed!” 

 

“Let me talk to her. As for somewhere to stay, she can stay with us. We've got the room. And in the meantime, we can help her sort things out. I agree that marriage would be the best idea for her, but we got to allow her to choose for herself.” Bucky patted his friend on the shoulder, drank the last quarter of his drink and slung on his jacket. “Im gonna going to the hospital now. And let her know she has somewhere to stay at least. Dont worry, things will work out. Take it easy. Why not take Peggy out this evening for a fun relaxing date? Just whatever you do, not mention this marriage proposal to her! Otherwise, that will be screwed up too!” 

“Sure. I wont mention anything. Let me know how it goes, what she says…” 

“I will.”, Bucky didnt feel as stressed as Steve about the situation with Li. She was brave and smart, he had faith in her to find her own way. And for what it was worth, he wanted to help support her along that way. 

  
  


“Oh Buck, it was awful!”, Li wailed at him as he sat down by her bed. 

“It couldnt have been that bad!” Bucky smiled at her as she told him what happened that morning when they examined her stitches. 

“It was horrible, its all red and purple and big! Theres going to be a big deep scar!” 

“Well, that is what happens when you get shot. Where abouts is it?” 

Li showed him her waist and the big white bandage on it tied round her. 

“I have scars of my own, you know? Its not that big a deal! Look!”, Bucky raised his leg up and rest his foot on the bar of the bed and rolled up his trouser leg exposing his shin where a large white scar laid across with tiny white splinter like scars around it. “Shrapnel! I was lucky they managed to get it out, otherwise, I'd be hobbling around the place!” 

“They did say i was lucky that it didnt hit any organs and it was on my right away from my heart.” 

“Yeah, there! See! Could've been worse. Youre still a looker”, he winked, widening his smile. He was fond of Li, he thought that she was a really sweet, kind person. He could see why Steve wanted to protect her. Hell, he wanted to protect her, himself!

 

“Li...Steve told me about what he asked you. You so know why he asked you dont you.”, he looked at her seriously as she shyly looked down at the bed covers. 

“Yeah. I know. But i just cant! I cant!”, she pleaded. 

“I know and i understand. The doctors have told me that youre ready to leave when youre ready. And ive told them that you can stay with me and Steve at my old parents place. Youd have your own room and privacy. Plus itll give you time to think about what you want to do. But i have gotta agree with him on one matter.”

“I need to marry, i know! But not Steve. Im not saying he wouldnt make a fine husband, i know he would! And i know that he would try to make me happy by any way or means. But i just dont want him giving up his life like that, out of a sense of responsibility and duty. It would be wrong and we would both end up miserable. And i wouldnt want that for either of us.” 

 

Bucky could see what she was saying and agreed with it entirely. An idea struck him, what if she married him. He didnt have any sweetheart. The girls he knew that promised to write him, never did. And in the last couple of days, he had found out they had gotten married. He didnt have anyone. He had no plan or idea for the future. He looked at Li lying there fretting about her situation. This sweet, kind, brave, thoughtful girl. He could envision a good life with her. But now was not to time to discuss it. He didnt time to think, and she needed time too. He knew the worst thing to do right now was to blurt out what he was feeling and thinking. No, instead he would take her home and look after her. Time would take care of the rest. 

  
  



	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky and Li find themselves at a crossroads in life. What way do they go?

The weeks passed by nicely. Steve went back to Europe with the rest of the commandos, leaving Bucky and Li behind. It was nice in the house, Li did most of the cooking and spruced up the place with bits and pieces. The pain on her side was beginning to subside to a dull ache and she found it easier to move around. 

 

Bucky, on the other hand, wasn't having much luck settling back into civilian life. He didn't regret coming away from the army, it was the right thing to do, considering what happened to him in the war. But work back home was thin on the ground and the bills were starting to become a problem for them. Li felt really bad that she couldn't do anything to help. Steve sent back home for them on a regular basis to help, but Bucky felt funny accepting it. 

 

He would trail around the city streets looking for work and back home Li would look through the newspapers for job advertisements for him. They worked quite well as a team and were starting to become quite close. A slow, soft whisper entered her mind.  _ Marry Bucky.  _ But try as she might to shut it out, it kept coming back every night he stepped through the front door and slumped himself down in despair. She felt it. 

 

One evening Bucky returned from his job search with a brochure in his hand and calling out for her with excitement in his voice, “Li! LI!! COME DOWN HERE!”. 

Li came running down the stairs, “What is it?! Did you find something?!”

“Possibly. But it would require a couple of things. But considering our situation, I can't see any other way around it. THIS is the only solution we're gonna get!”, he shook the paper file at her and sat down with it. 

Li sat down with him at the kitchen table and watched him take a couple of pieces of paper out to show her. “Look!”, he said. 

Li looked down and saw photographs of a country house, an orchard, a cornfield and what looked like to be a vineyard. It looked gorgeous despite the photos of the damage it had taken during the war. “South of France….”, she looked at up him confused. There was no way they could afford this. 

 

“They're looking for people to go out to various places in Europe that got hit by the Nazis. A lot of people were killed which meant a lot of communities have been nearly destroyed. So, they're looking for people to come and help put things back together. Theyre looking for workers, labourers, teachers! Li, we could do this! I could work as a labourer, help construct stuff and perhaps even set to work this vineyard place! We could be quite comfortably well off out there! Whatcha think?!”, he panted, out of breath by his own excitement. 

“We…?”, she questioned. He wanted her to go live with him in France?! 

“Yeah! A bit of sun on your skin, wind in your hair and lots of pretty scenery for you to paint. You'd love it! Not to mention theres a coastline just over the fridge there where the lines of vines end..”, he leaned in beside her and pointed out in the photo where he meant. She could see a thick dark line indicating the sea and the coastline drifting off into the distance. It did look wonderful. But…, “Do you think they would let us go? Not being a married couple?”, she countered. 

 

“Well see thats the rub right there. Its  _ only  _ for married couples. They want families out there you see. And well you know i respect your choice. But, theres nothing here work wise for me. And Li, we’re running out of money to feed ourselves. If we do this, we need to get married. I can put our names down on the sign up sheet for this and then we can go to the chapel up the road and get married there. Its not fancy and its quick, i know. But hon...we got to do something!”, he put his arm around her to comfort her. It was a big risk for the both of them but deep down he felt that they could make a success of it in time together. Personality wise they fitted really well. He baited his breath for her reply. 

 

Li looked through the pages of the brochure again and nibbled on her bottom lip. She knew he was right and she could feel the bubbles of impulsive excitement growing in her empty stomach. “Yes.”, she answered carefully in a low, quiet tone. 

“What did you say?”, bucky asked, not sure if he heard or understood her right. It sounded like she was saying to-

“Yes, i will marry you. Youre right, this...this is a good good of a opporunity to pass up. So, go put our names down and then we'll go and get married.”, she straightened herself up and with her shoulder set back and her back set straight she smiled at him. Yes, this felt right. This was the right decision. At least it felt like it was. 

“Good!”, he cheered and put his arms out wide for a hug which she leaned into, folding her arms around him happily. 

 

For the rest of the evening, they chattered cheerfully about what their new life was going to be like and what they were going to take with them. He was going to arrange with an estate agent to sell the house, so they had money to smarten up their new home that was war damaged. It was perfect! It felt perfect. 

 

Later that night Li found for the first time in forever that she couldnt sleep not due to worrying like so many other nights, but due to the excitement of where the next chapter of her life was to begin. 

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky and Li move into their new home...but it's not quite what they were expecting...

It was a really hot sunny day when Li and Bucky landed in France, the heat hit them like a wave and the light nearly blinded them. 

 

When they had left America, it had been a cold and miserable looking day. They left a lot of things behind and ordered new bits of furniture to be delivered to their new home. There had been some incidents of miscommunication over the phone, but once everything was set and confirmed in writing they felt a lot better. They ordered a new refrigerator, a deep chest freezer to in the pantry by the kitchen and two new mattresses, one for the upstairs bedroom and one for the downstairs which was to be Buckys. Bucky had chosen the downstairs one as it was nearer to the front door and he felt safer having Li in the upstairs bedroom away from the door. 

 

So when they arrived at their new home with various suitcases in tow they felt quite relieved to finally be there. They stood outside admiring the house and the surrounding view. "It's so quiet!", Bucky whispered leaning into Li with an amused smile on his face. Li just nodded, letting her gaze filter around the countryside around her. It was beautiful! The long grass in one of the fields nearby swayed in the gentle breeze. Seagulls sailed over high up above them, their cries piercing the bright blue sky full of wispy clouds drifting by. And in the air was the smell of sea salt and earth. It was perfect! 

 

"C'mon! Let's get in!', Bucky burst into energy and bundled all their baggage up in his arms, as much as he could carry and strode up the porch steps to the front door. Li rustled inside her purse for the keys and slipped them into the lock. With a small click the door was open and in they went. In their minds and from the photos they had received they were expecting the place to be clean. Bare, but definitely without the wildlife that had set up in various stops. There was a birds nest in one of the open kitchen cupboards, although fortunately, it looked like the occupants had long since flown away. But a family of Beech Martens were still very much inside one of the ground level cupboards, so when Li opened the small panel door a couple of small chattering Martens came running out which caught her by surprise. 'AH!', she yelped, jumping from one foot to the other on the tips of her toes. 

Bucky caught her by the waist and moved her aside quickly following back the front door and let the squawking animals out. "I didn't know we asked for pets, did you?!", he quipped with a cheeky smile. 

"Oh Buck, its a mess, just look at all the dirt and dust!", Li cried with dismay looking around her. The dining table in the middle of the kitchen had a thick layer of dust, with a smattering of hay here and there. On the floor were bits of rodent droppings littered in the corners. A chair was missing and the other was broken. "I didn't expect it to be like this!". 

 

"Now, now, its just one room. Let's go check the others first. For all, we know the others might be just fine and it's just the kitchen that's the problem". With a sigh, Bucky threw his luggage into what was going to be his room. A quick look backed up what he expected. It was small, cramped but generally okay and the mattresses had been delivered. This was a good sign. "See, now let's get you set up upstairs". Leading her by the hand he took her upstairs to her room. 

 

Upstairs...was worse. 

 

Upstairs was her bed that was broken in the middle and the old mattress was still there. Its guts spilling out as a nest of rats had set up a nest within it. The door to the room had been closed and with no ventilation, the smell that greeted them was beyond foul! They both coughed and gagged and closed the door again. This was a problem. This was a big, big problem. Had the downstairs bedroom been bigger and housed a double bed, that would've been fine. But as it was, the downstairs room was not only big enough to swing a runt of the litter cat, but only big enough to fit a single bed. Which at the time of them buying the house, seemed ideal. Now, not so much! Upstairs was going to take a while. First, they would need to phone for an exterminator and God knows how long they would take getting someone round to the job. But they would also need to get a new bed for her and air out the room. Which again, would likely take a while to be done. 

 

"...Okay...that was bad. Let's check the toilet and bathroom. Better yet, go downstairs and wait in my room. I'll check the rest of the house.", Bucky took charge as Li unhappily went back downstairs to wait for him. He steadied himself before entering the bathroom which besides the clumps of moss near the toilet and hand basin, wasn't too bad. He checked the shower and taps which all worked fine. He would have to venture down into the basement to start up the boiler so they could have hot water. But that could be left for now. By the looks of the radiators, they would need bleeding and some of the valves would need to be replaced where they had gotten a bit worn and rusty. 

 

Once he was downstairs he checked the small downstairs toilet, that looked fine too. Interestingly there didn't seem to be any moss growth in there which boded well. The light bulb had blown and needed changing and he was glad that he had thought to pick up some household items from a shop in the nearby town on their way here. 

 

The pantry was surprisingly clean and the chest freezer was all ready to be switched on. The back door was stiff to open and the small flower garden was overgrown with weeds and thistles. Upon further inspection he found some ivy growing on the back of the house by the door which was causing the door trouble in being opened. He would have to hack that back. 

 

Back in the kitchen, he surveyed the space. Li was right it was filthy from top to toe. But the refrigerator was there all clean and pristine. It looked a bit odd sitting there in the godforsaken kitchen. But with a bit of spit and polish, everything would be good as new again. And the cooker had been covered and was a darn sight less grim than he was dreading. On the whole, he felt quite positive about the place. There were lots of things that needed seeing to, but he had been expecting that. Although the upstairs bedroom and the current bed problem was a whole other issue. 

 

"I've checked out the others room, except the basement and its not too bad. We've got running water and the white goods are here. The cooker looks useable. The only immediate problem is the beds…" 

 

Had the living room not been left open to the weather, it would've been a simple task of one sleeping on the couch and the other taking the single bed. But the front room had taken a direct hit and was completely destroyed. They knew this already from the description of the house and the photographs they were provided with. That hadn't seemed like a problem and they had decided just to use the kitchen and their separate bedroom as living spaces to rest in during the day and evening. 

 

"I see…", Li responded slowly thinking about what that meant. She was glad the rest of the house was useable and there were no other nasty surprises than the ones she encountered. But she was nervous about sharing a bed with him. Not that she didn't trust him to be a gentleman. But that she was nervous about accidentally invading each others space and keeping each other awake with various noises a person exhibits when they're trying to sleep and when they are asleep. It also meant that getting dressed and undressed would be a song and dance number too. The most she had seen of Bucky undressed was one morning when she had just moved in and he forgot she was there. He had come wandering downstairs in just his briefs and vest. Li wasn't sure if she was a prude or not, but it did cause her a flutter in her stomach and chest as she whipped round to face her back to him. He quickly made a retreat and called out an apology which she quickly accepted. 

It was hot here too, which meant they would soon overheat in this small bed together and would need to strip to the essentials to keep cool. Oh, Lord! Her face blushed a peony pink. 

"I, I don't know, I suppose I could make a bed somewhere else, like the pantry or something…", Bucky grappled, seeing Li embarrassed by the situation they had found themselves in. 

But this offer snapped Li back into place. They were being silly. Of course, they would have to share and they would just have to deal with all the problems that might arise from that. "No, no. It's fine. We can do this! We're both adults. No.", she turned to give him a smile and patted his hand resting on the bed. 

"Are you sure about that. I mean, you know I'm not going to try anything…", He desperately didn't want to say the words. 

"I know. I'm not worried about that. I'm just worried we might annoy each other with our habits', she chuckled and looked away abashed. 

"Ohhh. No. Well, I'm fine. And I'll try not to do anything too annoying", he beamed back at her feeling relief. 

  
  
  



	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> first night in their new home

They decided to have a picnic on the porch for dinner. The new oven worked like a dream and they were both starting to see the amusing side to their predicament. They chuckled and giggled as they ate and talked about sharing their home with the local wildlife. Bucky joked that maybe they could pitch in with the cleaning. Li retorted that they had left enough damage and mess as it was, and she would much prefer them to remain outside where they belonged.

After they cleared away all the plates, they began a game of I spy. Lying down in opposite directions. The game didn't last long as night had settled in the sky, making it difficult to make out objects. Bucky insisted that Li won and switched on the porch light, "Well, at least the electrics work!', he said, spreading his hands out for effect.   
"Yep…", Li scrambled to her feet and scooped up the blanket, giving it a good shake to get the dirt and dust off."...It's getting late…".   
"Yeah…", he coughed and looked around for something to distract them from the awkward situation they were heading in, "We should probably think about turning in for the night…"  
"Yes….", she slumped her shoulders and gave a big sigh, shaking her head at how they were behaving. It was just a bed after all. One she would have to share and that was all. They were being silly. So giving herself a shake she lifted her head and walked inside.

Bucky watched as Li walked past him. What should he do? Follow? Hang back? Hang back, for sure, he decided, examining the wood grain of the door frame intently. But every now and then giving fleeting glances towards the bedroom door. He would be sharing a bed with a woman and not just any woman either. He would be sharing with Li. This was awkward as unbeknownst to her, Bucky had been harbouring a secret crush on her. The time they had been living together he had stopped dating, he tried once or twice with a couple of girls he had been keen on before the war, but whatever spark had been there with them had disappeared. Instead, he was more content to spend his time with Li who would tell him various things about the future and about her life. He found her fascinating. And beautiful! And tonight he will be sharing a single bed with her in a rural part of France.

Before his nerves got the better of him the door clicked open. She darted out and gestured for him to go inside to get ready for bed. She was dressed in a soft pastel pink dressing gown and her hair was down. With a sharp intake of breath, Bucky strode into the bedroom to change and get a good grip of himself, otherwise, this was going to be a very long and tense night.

A small knock at the door made him straighten up quite sharpish. A muffled voice came through the door, "Is it safe to come in?"   
"Yes, yes it's fine. All good, come in."   
Li carefully opened the door keeping her eyes low to the ground, looking up briefly to check. Finding that he was dressed in his blue and white striped pjamas Li relaxed a little bit and smiled. "So who should get in first and which side?"  
"I'll take the left nearest to the door and you take the right?", they shuffled around past one another apologising with an awkward titter.   
Once on their designated sides they took one last look at each other and clambered into bed. Which was very, very small. Bucky was not overly muscular and Li, although on the curvy side was not that wide, but they still found themselves jammed up together with nowhere to move unless they fell off the bed. They turned their heads a fraction to look at each other with apprehension. "This is fine", Li whispered.   
"Probably better if we laid on our sides, be less squished that way, heh!"  
They justled about on the bed, hearing a spring or two pop beneath them. _Oh, shoot!_ "That's better..", Bucky looked back over his shoulder for a response. "...Li, you alright there?"   
"Yeah, I'm fine. Are you?"   
"It's fine. Hey, if you need me to move or I take too much of the cover, let me know. Don't want you getting cold or uncomfortable."   
"I'm fine. Although I apologise in advance if I accidentally hit you with an arm or kick you in my sleep. Apparently I do that sometimes."  
Bucky silently grinned with laughter. "Alright, consider me warned. Goodnight darlin'."  
"Goodnight, Buck."

But both did not sleep. The warm very hot and the air was stale. And because they were sharing a bed, both were more clothed than they normally would be. They laid there, nothing till early morning dawn broke. Each believing the other asleep and not wanting to disturb them.

The following morning they confessed to their lack of sleep and so laid out some towels on the porch and fell asleep with a foot-long distance away from each other. The morning was cool and fresh outside, which was bliss to their overheated bodies. Which was good for what the day had in store for them. 


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Unexpected tiny visitors scare the living crap out of our man Buck!

It was just before midday before they both woke up and plodded back inside. Li went to make some breakfast, but as soon as she opened the kitchen door, she shut it again. It wasn't a dream, the kitchen was still awful. Bucky picked around in the picnic basket they packed last night for leftovers, as Li came to join him. "We really need to clean this place up", Bucky muttered mostly to himself as well as Li.   
"I know, I know. I'll dig out the cleaning stuff from our things and we'll start with the kitchen. That way we can have some coffee before we continue on with the rest of the house", Li yawned loudly before bending down to look through some of their shopping bags. She was very glad the electrics were working and their white goods had been delivered and installed. She just wished that someone had told them about the state of the place. She also wondered if any of the other places in the brochure they looked at were as equally bad or better.   
"Aha! Here! There's some cloths, cleaning liquids and powders...oh...do we have any water?!"  
Water! They hadn't checked that yesterday. How could they have forgotten?

Bucky went back into the kitchen and turned on the taps. There was a lot of noise and the tap trembled and shook as the water slowly and painfully came up through the tap. They both sighed in relief. But what about the boiler. Thinking the same thought at the same time they turned to face each other with a look of fear. Boilers were tricking even at the best of times. The state of the place both gave them pause when they considered what the boiler downstairs would be like. Would it work? Or would it burst into flames, rendering everything to ash and cinders?!   
"You go check!", Li gave Bucky a little push towards the door.   
"Why me?! Why don't you have a look and I make coffee?", he grinned hopefully at her. Seeing the look on Li's face and the hand on her jutting hip, he groaned and lumbered towards the basement.

Once she heard him go down, shaking a box of matches, Li quickly snuck out of the house in expectation of a big boom! But nothing happened. She stood there apprehensively, not knowing if it was safe to go back in or not. Instead, she went to have a look around the outside of the house. It was quite sturdy and the white paintwork wasn't too bad. But she could see the scorch marks of the hit it took from a nearby exploded bombshell. She saw the trees that took most of the brunt of it and the small crater where the bomb had landed. Fortunately, it had already been removed. The affected side of the house was horrifying to see. There were bits of broken furniture, broken pictures and paintings. There were also footprints in the dirt and ash that meant someone had come and picked things of value. She hoped it was the previous owners and not some opportunist stealing things.

As she examined the remains Bucky came out to join her. "Boilers working!".   
"Oh good! Did you have any trouble?"  
"Suspiciously, no I didn't.", he frowned back towards the path he had walked down, expecting a flamey betrayal.   
"Hmm, well we can't stand out here all day. Let's go back in and get to work!", Li straightened herself up and walked back round through the front doorway. She grabbed a few things and went back into the kitchen to do some scrubbing. She was determined to make this place spik and span by the end of the day. When Li got going on a cleaning frenzy, there was no stopping her!

She was about halfway down before she heard a strange screaming yell from up above her and running footsteps down the stairwell. She was in the pantry at this point. She hurried back through the kitchen towards the porch and saw Bucky jerking and flailing around on the gravel, making some really strange noises, "Nnngh! Ugh! Urrrrnnnhh!".   
She regarded him for a minute or two with amusement, "What on earth are you doing?!"  
"SPIDERS!! THEY, nnurrghhh! Ergh!", his gripped at his shirt and pulled it over his head, but because it was buttoned up it got stuck at his head and wrists.   
He stopped and stood there panting, "Little help?"  
Li giggled and walked over to him and sorted his shirt out for him. When he was finally free, he was all flushed in the face and his hair was standing up on its end. He looked like a wild bush monkey she had seen at a museum once with the same startled expression, which just set her off in tears of laughter.   
"What?! It's not funny! You go up there! They're huge!"  
"You've been through a world war, faced death in its face on a near-daily basis. But yet its spiders you're scared of"  
"I've yet to hear about a nazi soldier crawling into anyone's mouth, nose or ears at night while someones sleeping. They lay their eggs in you!  
"The nazis?!"  
"No...th- heh, the spiders!", Bucky gave a panted sigh amd bent over with laughter. "At least tell me there's none on me".  
"There's none on you.", Li handed him back his shirt and checked him over for any of his little 'buddies'. "Where were they anyway?"  
"The upstairs bathroom. I finished cleaning the bath and sink and just started on the moss I found last night. Except it wasn't moss…", he raised his eyebrows at her, waiting for the point to dawn on her.  
"Ohhhhh…", and there it was. "Okay.", She said.

Bucky went and sat on the porch steps to calm down and take a break. He had three big fears in his life: Heights, losing Steve and spiders. He tried to stop himself from shaking, he didn't want Li to see how much it scared him. But she just patted his head like a dog and went back inside. Less than a minute later, he heard a window above him being opened. "Buck, you might want to go somewhere else right now. I'm going to get rid of these guys out the window."   
Bucky didn't even wait for her to finish, he went running back inside and waited in the kitchen. While he was in there, he decided to see what he could do to fix the table and mend the chairs. He remarked on how clean Li had made the room and ignored the noises of things being dropped outside.

Li clambered down the stairs, grabbed the brush and started herding the tiny rabble away from the house, hoping they wouldn't attempt to return. She wasn't scared of spiders. She lived in a woodland, so she was very used to various types of insect life visiting her home. But she had her limits. And now she knew just how scared Bucky was of them, she doubly didn't want them to come back. Poor Buck, he was really rattled by them, which was understandable considering just how many were in the upstairs bathroom. She knew it would be a while before he fully felt comfortable being up there.

Once she was done, she checked the downstairs toilet and found only a couple, but they were quite large, so she hooked them out with her duster and shut the door.

There was a lot of banging going on in the kitchen and went she opened the door she found him fixing up the small dining table and the chairs. He stopped when he noticed her in the doorway smiling at him. "All done. No more spiders! And I've checked the downstairs toilet and that's all clear too, alright?"   
Bucky sighed in relief, "Thanks doll! I'm not sure I would've been able to sleep tonight knowing what's up there."   
"Well they're all gone now, so you can sleep soundly. Although we might need to have a think about sleeping arrangements tonight because last night did not work at all!"   
Bucky put his hammer down and set the table back upright. With a light blow on the stardust, he straightened back up. "Yeah, I was thinking that earlier. It might be better moving the bed out and just lying on the floor like we did this morning on the porch."   
"Hmmm", Li twisted the side of her face up, not exactly liking the idea, God knows what they would find on the floor. "No, I don't think that's going to work. I think... I think I have another idea but I'm not sure you're going to like it or even approve of it."  
Bucky face lit up with interest, "Oh?", He said. 


End file.
